Yuva Kabaddi Series 2022: Top 6 Challengers
TUESDAY, 21 ST JUNE 2022
The Booster round of YUVA Kabaddi Series came to an end and now 6 teams go forward into the Challenger round. Day 14 of the booster round had 4 matches with relevance where three teams were fighting out for the 5th and 6th place and two out of those three teams made it to Challenger round. Here are the 6 teams that made it to the Challenger round of YUVA Kabaddi Series.
TOP 6 OF BOOSTER ROUND
1) Murthal Magnets:
The most consistent team in the YUVA Kabaddi Series continued their domination from the Survival Round to the Booster Round. They topped the table in Survival Round and also in the Booster Round. Out of the 14 matches played in the round, they went on to win 11 matches and lost only 3 matches. The Raiding Trio of Ashu Malik, Vinay Virender and Umesh took on the raiding responsibilities and they ensured consistent performances for the team. Magnets are the only team that doesn’t depend on a single player to do the job for them. Even in defense the corners and covers- Krishan Dhull (best defender of Booster Round), Vijay Kumar, Manish Dhull and z Sanjay Dhull take up equal responsibilities and deliver on the given day. Murthal Magnets look like clear favourites to go all the way in the YUVA Kabaddi series.
2) Periyar Panthers:
Periyar Panthers is another team that started off the booster round with a bang and they topped the table for most parts of the round but towards the end lost their way to finish 2nd. They went on win their first 8 matches of the Booster Round and looked unstoppable. But due to injuries towards the end saw them try their bench strength which let them down a little bit. Ashish Narwal is currently is in his form of his life, he had most super 10s in the round (8). He was instrumental in the success of Periyar Panthers. Another player who impressed everyone in the Survival round- Naveen Sharma also had a good round but got injured towards the end. Anish- the cover defender stepped up in the absence of Naveen to fill in the void to help Panthers be lethal in defense. Periyar Panthers look like a team with a mission to go all the way in this YUVA Kabaddi Series.
3) Aravalli Arrows:
Aravalli Arrows had a mixed booster round in terms of performances. They won 7 games and lost 6, showing inconsistency but managed to win at the right moment to be in this situation and finish at the 3rd place of the Booster round. With Mahipal getting injured in the Survival Round, all eyes were on Jai Bhagwan who took the raiding responsibilities and he did well whenever he featured for them in the round. But he also missed a lot of games which led to inconsistencies in the raiding of the Arrows. Ram Kunwar did his job as the lead raider when Jai Bhagwan missed out. In defense Lokesh Ghosiliya was the highlight of this round for the Arrows, along with the captain who did not have a fairytale round but was on par to help the Arrows. Their raiding still looks a bit inconsistent with a lot of changes but with Mahipal coming back and if Jai Bhagwan is fit Arrows will look dangerous in the upcoming Challenger round.
4) Hampi Heroes:
Hampi Heroes started off the Booster Round with a lot of promise but towards the end lost their way and finished 4th in the points table with 7 wins and 6 losses. Injury to Nitin Dhankhar, their lead raider made thing worse for the team. Sonu Lathwal took up the raiding responsibilities and shined in his own way and helped the team towards the end. The defense looked sorted with Nitin Deswal and Mohit Narwal- the cover combination who have close to 100 tackle points together. The corners were a bit inconsistent but they managed to pull themselves up in the business end of the Booster Round. Once Nitin Dhankhar comes back this team will look deadly on the mat and has a great chance to do something special in the YUVA Kabaddi Series.
5) Kaziranga Rhinos:
Kaziranga Rhinos, after finishing 2nd in the Survival round came into the Booster Round with lot of promise. But to everyone’s shock they went on to lose the first 5 matches of the round and looked clueless. Parteek Dahiya the raider in form had a troubled start to the Booster Round with no super 10s in the first 5 matches. But the Rhinos came back stomping in the 2nd half of the booster round winning 6 out of their next 9 matches to finish in 5th place on the points table. Parteek Dahiya got back to his best and the highlight of the Booster Round for the Rhinos was Hitesh Kadiyan who stole the show in the right corner position. He consistently produced match winning performances to keep the Rhinos in the hunt for the top 6. Kaziranga Rhinos look equally dangerous as the other teams in the Challenger round with the momentum they have going.
6) Tadoba Tigers:
Tadoba Tigers another team that came in with a lot of promise but didn’t live up to the expectation in the Booster Round. Sachin Jagbir their lead raider lost his form in between the round as he struggled to score points. Vishal Chahal and Aakash Deshwal took up the raiding responsibilities for the Tigers and did a good job. Their defense was the main issue which leaked points at regular intervals. Mohit Jaipal and Vinay Rajesh have had an average tournament so far but have contributed in bits and pieces. The corners have also been inconsistent. Towards the end of the booster they got back in some form and won a must win encounter to make it to the Challenger Round. Overall the Tigers need to figure things out soon as the Challenger Round is going to be challenging.